In order to provide surfaces for plastic moldings or metallic moldings with matt feeling (for example, suede-like soothing external appearance), suede-like covering coats are generally formed using paints. However, in the case where suede-like covering coats are formed on the surfaces of moldings by using paints, it is required to regulate the viscosity or concentration of the paints, resulting in complicated work. Paints containing organic solvents should be used in a booth, and cause problems related to pollution of the working environment and sanitation. Sued-like materials in a sheet shape for covering a substrate have been proposed as alternatives to paints so as to overcome these problems. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2-41243 proposes a suede-like sheet obtained as follows: a bead pigment is added to a vehicle of ionizing radiation curable resin to obtain a lusterless paint, and the matt paint is coated onto a base film with good moldability and cured.
Moreover, an apparatus in which a sheet is decorated while being subjected to injection forming is proposed, for example in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59-202830.
Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62-251111 proposes a method for producing a product, comprising the steps of: previously placing a thermoplastic sheet in a drag; introducing a resin in the drag; and pressing the resin in the drag with a cope, thereby obtaining a thermoplastic sheet with decoration adhered to the surface of a molding.
A method for producing a molding by using a sheet for forming is also proposed. Examples of the sheet for forming include thermoplastic resin sheets made of vinyl chloride resins, acrylic resins, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers and the like. Vacuum forming using these sheets is known, and for example, a method for producing a molded laminate is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-12843.
In the case where the surface of a molding is provided with a matt finish by using the above-mentioned suede-like sheets, since a covering film derived from the sheet is made of a resin which is cross-linked by irradiation of an electron beam, the extensibility of the entire sheet is unsatisfactory. For example, when a sheet is adhered to the surface of a substrate having unevenness and curves, the sheet cannot sufficiently be drawn and is sometimes broken. It has been difficult to provide a molding with matt feeling especially for deep drawing.
Since the surface of a molding obtained by using the thermoplastic resin sheet described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-12843 is made of a thermoplastic resin alone, the touch of the molding is hard and the surface of the molding is likely to be scratched. Therefore, the above-mentioned thermoplastic resin sheet is not suitable for producing housings, cases, interior of automobiles, etc. for which soft touch feeling and abrasion resistance are required.